Tadaima
by Iridescent Chicanery
Summary: Something stirs in Sasuke's heart as he, unknowingly, draws close to the borders of Konoha. His mind is filled with leaf green eyes and roseate hair. His eyes only saw the past, now they see the future. Will he go where his heart beckons?


**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto or the haiku.

**Author's note: **So, I wrote this about a year ago and never got round to uploading it. For now, I've decided to keep it as a one-shot, but who knows, I might decide to pick it up and spin a story out of it. However, at present, I feel I should focus more on _Autumn Moon._ Anyway, I hope everyone enjoys this!

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_**Tadaima**_

_My dear old village,_

_every memory of home_

_pierces like a thorn_

_ Issa_

_

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_

Four years had passed since the threat of the Third Ninja War had been eliminated.

Four years, since Konoha had battled the Akatsuki.

Four years ago, that so many comrades had been lost in the pursuit of peace.

Four years ago, that a comrade, once thought lost to darkness, rushed to their sides in their time of need.

Four years, since Naruto and Sasuke stood side by side and fought together against a common enemy.

Four years past, since Sasuke walked away from Konoha again.

Uchiha Sasuke, a man once called a traitor now hailed as a saviour, had departed Konoha under the cloak of darkness once again.

A man whose past betrayal still gnawed at his conscience, had fled the scene of his duplicity, as he saw it.

Unaware that his betrayal was long forgiven by all, the moment he cast aside his revenge to stand by their side and protect what was most precious.

His home. His memories. His comrades. Team 7.

~*~*~*~*~*~

The citizens of Konoha had been eagerly awaiting the arrival of Spring and with it the blooming of the sakura and ume trees.

Hanami was a well-loved festival in Konoha, as was seen by the many people who sat beneath flowering trees with their sake and lunches. A time to admire the beauty of nature and spend time with loved ones.

Haruno Sakura slowly made her way across the park. The soft earth already carpeted with the cream and pink petals. A soft breeze continued to scatter the delicate flowers and pluck them from their boughs.

Sakura searched for her teammates. Kakashi had insisted that they spend at least a day together enjoying the festival. Sakura had been eager to do so. Ever since Tsunade had made the announcement that Naruto would succeed her as Rokudaime, the young blond had been extremely busy and had barely a moment to spend time with his friends.

Sakura caught sight of her teammates, sitting upon a white blanket, a little further away from the crowd and noise. Naruto was hungrily staring at the food arranged on the blanket, Kakashi reclined against the tree with his trademark orange novel clutched in his right hand, and Sai was quietly sketching on his pad.

Sakura stopped for a moment to look at the scene. A smile tugging at the corner of her lips. All three of them were dressed in kimonos. Naruto, always one to favour garish colours, wore a bright orange kimono with a navy obi. Sakura had to wonder where on earth he managed to buy such a piece. Kakashi had opted for a grey one with a brown obi and Sai had chosen a black kimono with a white sash. Sakura had to wince at Sai's choice. She had never seen a person wear a pure black kimono to Hanami. A soft giggle escaped her lips. He was still learning.

However, there was one person missing from this happy scene. Sasuke. Sakura could almost picture the Uchiha dressed in a deep navy kimono with his clan's symbol printed on the back, a frown pulling his brows together, as he grudgingly decided to join them.

She could see him muttering some sarcastic comment about Naruto's excessive drooling, Naruto snapping and hurling obscenities at him, while Kakashi feigned disinterest, although his visible eye would crinkle at its corners, and Sai paying rapt attention, hoping to learn more of human interaction.

"Oi! Sakura chan!'

The vision was dispelled. Sakura's gaze focussed on Naruto, who was waving at her enthusiastically. She smiled and responded to the wave, with one of her own and joined her teammates, calling out a soft greeting to them.

'Sakura chaaaan! You look so pretty!' cried out Naruto, admiring her furisode.

Sakura was dressed in a rose coloured kimono designed with delicate white cherry blossoms hanging over a languid river, and the shadow of a temple and mountains in the background. The soft rosy hue illustrated sunset. Her hair was held in an elegant bun with the aid of seasonal kanzashi, trailing with pink sakura mixed with butterflies and bonbori lanterns.

'Thank you, Naruto,' said Sakura, smiling.

She placed her basket of food on the ground and settled herself between Sai and Naruto, as she began to arrange the food and drinks on the blanket.

'Why didn't you invite Hinata to join us, Naruto?' asked Sakura.

Naruto had begun seeing the Hyuuga heiress soon after the battle with the Akatsuki. Since then, they had been nigh inseparable.

'Oh! Hinata had to be with her family today, so she couldn't make it.'

'Ah. Kakashi san, you have, what most women would call, a very unattractive face,' said Sai, suddenly and quite bluntly.

Sakura and Naruto simultaneously whipped around to see Kakashi's chopsticks hovering in midair, his visible eye trained on Sai, as the younger ninja continued to innocently stare back. Their mouths hung open in shock. Whatever Kakashi's face was meant to look like, they had always thought, weird imaginations aside, that he would be very handsome.

Naruto broke the silence with a loud whine.

'It's not fair! We've been trying to catch a glimpse of Kakashi sensei's face since we were twelve!'

'Ne, Kakashi sensei. You seem a bit surprised. Getting old? Not very aware of your surroundings it seems,' said Sakura, smirking.

Kakashi smiled back and said one word.

'Genjutsu.'

'Are you sure about that Kakashi san? Or did I hurt your masculine pride?' stated Sai, looking curiously at Kakashi, whose eye had visibly widened.

Sakura and Naruto burst into peals of laughter.

Sakura was reminded of a day when three genin had set out to discover the face behind their teacher's mask. How one was so reluctant to join the 'mission' until Naruto's descriptions had him seeking peace of mind regarding that issue.

_Sasuke kun, where are you?_

~*~*~*~*~*~

A lone figure walked, unhurriedly, through the forest. No particular destination in mind.

Sasuke gazed up at the forest's leafy canopy, framing the sky. The sky had turned a pinky-orange hue. Sunset. It seemed he had been walking for quite awhile without paying much attention to his surroundings.

He had been wandering aimlessly, like this, for over three years. Passing from country to country, village to village, and yet, still no place he could call home. No place that he could stay at for longer than a month.

His life felt void of purpose.

_Probably, because you were so fixated on one goal and now that it's gone, you have nothing._

The vicious thought ripped through his mind. He had centred his entire life around that one goal and had striven to achieve it. When the time had come, he had killed his brother, but not with revenge in mind. No, he had fought against his brother to protect someone.

Leaf green eyes and rose petal hair filled Sasuke's mind.

_Sakura._

The konoichi had been the target of Itachi's attacks and Sasuke had intervened.

Not because he had sworn to have his revenge.

Not because Itachi was the enemy.

He intervened because it was Sakura. He would have intervened had it been any other Akatsuki member. That realisation had stumped Sasuke.

He was quite sure that his motives were not obvious to Sakura. Her eyes had merely widened and a look of comprehension had dawned on her face. She thought he had stepped in for an entirely different reason.

He could still remember the climax of the battle.

_The cries of relief, the cheers, medics flooding onto the scene, the frantic rush to search for friends and family and he felt truly lost amidst that crowd._

_His brother lay dead a few feet from him. Sasuke felt a surge of emotion as he looked at his older brother. When he had struck the final blow, he had felt no hatred, and from the look he had spied in his brother's eyes, neither had he. _

_What had truly left Sasuke frightened was the gentle smile that had crept across his brother's face, as he lightly tapped his forehead and uttered his final words:_

'_Sorry, Sasuke. This is the last time.'_

_And Sasuke knew. He knew that something had gone horribly wrong._

_Sasuke, tired from the battle, sluggishly moved to his brother's side. He lifted his brother into his arms. He looked around himself one last time, searching for three familiar faces, and when he found them weary but smiling, he left._

_They would probably not notice his absence for a while, until the commotion died down. _

_For now, he had returned the favour to Konoha. A small favour. _

_Sasuke, even as he left Konoha for the second time, felt his heart clench tightly. He knew he had no right to return, and with that heavy weight in his heart he had fled._

Sasuke, from time to time, still felt the stirrings of homesickness in his heart. He, however grudgingly, admitted to himself that he missed Naruto's loud, raucous arguments, Sakura's swift arrival to his defence, and Kakashi's tutelage. He missed their unswerving faith in his goodness, even though he was undeserving of it.

Sasuke's heart throbbed in his chest. A soft, heady scent had wafted down to him. A scent so, achingly, familiar. Sasuke's feet carried him quietly, yet swiftly in the direction of the perfume.

Then, his vision was obscured by a flurry of pink.

Sasuke blinked. A sigh escaped his lips. Sakura trees in bloom. Nothing else. Not-

Sasuke's eyes widened. This cherry tree. He knew it. It was the tree beneath which he had buried Itachi. A tree, that lay not very far from the gates to Konoha.

It seemed that his aimless mind, had been led by his searching heart, back to Konoha.

Sasuke dropped his backpack against another tree and went to the cherry blossom, kneeling beside it.

His brother's grave was covered with the soft pink and white petals; the whole clearing was. He had yet to learn the secret that was held behind his brother's smile and peaceful eyes. A part of him wanted to know, but another part shied from the seeking of this knowledge. He was at peace with himself now. Did he want to go around turning over more stones and discovering something that was better left forgotten?

Sasuke shook his head to clear his thoughts. He was over a hundred yards from Konoha. The strings of his heart, held by Konoha, yanked painfully. Calling him. Beckoning him.

_Only a glance._

_Just to see if everything is all right._

_Then you can leave._

_Come….._

Sasuke snatched up his pack and slung it across his shoulders. His feet tapping against the branches of the trees as he raced towards Konoha.

~*~*~*~*~*~

The moon materialised in the darkening sky. Small, glittering stars flickered into being, winking down at lonely travellers.

Sakura had left her teammates by the lake side.

Sai had been captivated by the image of the moon in the cherry blossom speckled lake, and had promptly pulled out his painting utensils.

Hinata had managed to excuse herself from her family to join Naruto and Sakura felt loath to intrude on them. It seemed Kakashi had felt the same way. He had risen, making some excuse, and had made his way across to a group of other jounin, not before asking Sakura if she would care to join him. However, Sakura had politely declined, saying she should be returning home soon.

That little white lie found Sakura strolling through the streets of Konoha, away from her house. Her mind preoccupied with thoughts of a young man.

She wondered what he looked like now. Four years…. He must have grown taller. Was he taller than Naruto? Naruto wouldn't be pleased by that in the least. What was he doing? Was he all right? Would he ever return? …Was he lonely? Did he miss-

Sakura furiously shoved aside that thought. There was no guarantee that Sasuke would ever return, so why should she dwell on whether he missed them or not. Why should she worry if he was lonely or taking care of himself.

"_Why indeed," _whispered the perfidious part of her mind.

Sakura sighed. Defeated. Her treacherous heart. She hadn't stopped caring for the Uchiha and still hoped that he would, someday, return. It worried her that he might still think that the village hated him. Could that be why he stayed away? The village had forgiven him. Even the Godaime had issued a formal edict, that was the Uchiha to return, he was not to be treated as a prisoner in any way. He had saved Konoha from the brink of destruction and for that, they could forgive him his betrayal.

"_But he doesn't know that, does he?"_

Naruto, still, had blind faith that Sasuke would come back. She remembered his words, after the battle.

"_Don't worry, Sakura chan. Teme'll come back. After all, he has nowhere else to go. He'll come back to us. Just you wait and see."_

Those words, accompanied by Naruto's trademark fox-like grin, had kept the small ember of hope burning in Sakura. The flames would splutter at times, but whenever they did, Naruto noticed and hastened to reassure her. And every time it worked.

In spite of Naruto's reassuring, Sakura was feeling a little despondent this evening. Four years had passed and no news of Sasuke had reached them. He was keeping himself very well-hidden. That fact, alone, proved to Sakura that the Uchiha did not want to be found and had no intention of returning. The thought left her feeling devastated.

Her gaze wandered along the cobbled path and came to rest upon a bench. A bench where a young girl had awoken to find that she had been unable to stop the boy she loved from leaving. She was on the path leading out of Konoha.

Sakura found her feet leading her towards that bench. She touched the wood, her fingers trailing along its rough surface. Images flashed through her mind.

_Sasuke walking away._

_Herself appealing to him to stay._

_Her request that she be allowed to go with him._

_Her threat._

_Her confession._

_His soft whisper._

_Thank you._

Sakura's fingers gripped the bench tightly. Only releasing it when she felt the wood giving way beneath her fingers. She collapsed onto the bench, leaning forward and cradling her face in her hands.

_Why couldn't she forget him?_

~*~*~*~*~*~

Sasuke stood in the shadow of the forest, before the gates of Konoha. Now that he was here, he hesitated. What if they arrested him the moment they saw him? Was it worth the risk, just to see how everyone was faring?

Sasuke struggled with himself, and in the end, logic won over. If he was a wanted man, surely he would have heard something of Konoha's attempts to find him, but he had heard nothing.

He stepped out of the shadows and was immediately spotted by a shinobi on the gate.

"State your name and purpose."

Sasuke looked up at the shinobi, a Hyuuga it seemed.

"Uchiha Sasuke."

That was all it took. The Hyuuga's eyes widened and he turned to the other guard, who seemed just as speechless.

"Uchiha san! Just a moment!"

The silence was broken by the other guard, who stumbled out of sight, shortly followed by the Hyuuga. Then, the gates slowly swung open and the two ninja's gestured for him to enter. Sasuke walked in, unsure.

"Hokage sama will want to see you. You should go see her before you go anywhere else," said the Hyuuga.

"Hn."

Sasuke breezed past the two men, leaving them to decipher his answer.

"Did that mean 'yes' or 'no'?"

"I don't know. Where's Akira? Tell him to go and quickly inform the Hokage."

Sasuke smirked. He slowly proceeded to make his way to the Hokage Tower. A thousand thoughts and emotions running through him. How would they react when they saw him? Perhaps he should have thought this through a bit more. At least he had until tomorrow to organise his thoughts.

Sasuke looked up from the cobble stones, when he heard a ragged intake of breath. His steps faltered as his eyes rested upon a pink-haired woman.

_Sakura._

His eyes took her in and then focused on where she was seated. Last to see him leave, first to see him return.

What was she doing here? Furthermore, why was she crying?

Sasuke did not dare to move, in case she saw him. Which a rather sarcastic part of his mind regarded as very stupid as he was standing right in the middle of the pathway, in plain view.

What should he say to her? Should he try and quickly escape? What-

Even as his mind was trying to process all those thoughts, his mouth moved of its own accord and a simple word slipped from his lips.

"Tadaima."

~*~*~*~*~*~

Sakura didn't know when her eyes had filled with tears or when they had begun to overflow and slide down her face. All she knew was that Sasuke was probably never coming back. She would never see him again. Although knowing her luck, even if she did see him, she'd probably have already decided to get married to someone else or when they were both too old to care. That image got a choked laugh out of Sakura, before depression set in once again and she heaved a deep sigh as more tears fell.

She didn't know why she had to pick him of all people to fall in love with. She just knew that she wanted to see him. Even if it was just once more. Just a moment, to try and convince him to come back. There was no reason for him to stay away now, so why was he being stubborn and-

"Tadaima."

Sakura's entire body froze. She could have sworn she just heard Sasuke's voice. It had been so soft, it could have been the breeze, stirring her imagination. But some part of her urged her to lift her head and look in the direction of this 'voice'.

Sakura's breath shuddered in her throat. She squinted her eyes to remove the haze, surrounding the figure, caused by her tears.

_It was him._

Sasuke stood under the blue glow of the moon. His eyes trained on her. His soft black hair tousled by the gentle breeze. He looked as proud as ever. His brows had furrowed into a frown. There was something different about him. She continued to stare at him in astonishment, not quite believing that he was standing before her.

And then she realised why he was frowning at her, why there was an almost indiscernible hesitancy in his gaze.

"Okaeri."

The soft greeting flew from her lips and before she realised what she was doing, she was moving, as swiftly as her kimono would allow her to, towards Sasuke.

She wrapped her arms around his waist and buried her face into his chest as fresh tears fell from her eyes.

"Okaeri, Sasuke kun." Her grip tightened further.

Sasuke looked down, uncertainly, at the small woman clutching him so tightly, so close. His back pack lay forgotten on the ground. He didn't know how to respond. This was the last thing he had expected Sakura to do after a four year absence.

But she was crying with such relief against him.

Sasuke, tentatively, wrapped one arm around her shoulders, tugging her even closer to him. Her fingers clutched tightly at the back of his shirt. His other arm came around to encircle her. Sasuke gave into the feeling of warmth and dare he hope, love, that radiated from Sakura. He lowered his face to rest against the space where her shoulder and neck met, seeking comfort in her warmth. Inhaling her delicate scent.

"Sasuke kun. You're not leaving again, right?"

"Hn."

"Don't leave, Sasuke."

"Hn."

"Sasuke."

"Hn."

Sakura continued her soft, incoherent murmurings seeking closure and Sasuke gently responded by pulling her closer against himself and whispering reassurances to her. His warm breath fanning and lips brushing against her throat with each word.

_He was home._

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**A/N:** Hope that tickled your taste buds sufficiently!


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